The presidential and parliamentary elections held yesterday concluded with full security according to domestic and international monitors.
Some 415 observers from eight international organizations were deployed to watch yesterday's presidential and parliamentary elections. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent 234 observers, while the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCEPA) sent 72, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) deployed 35, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) sent 10 observers.
The OSCE said yesterday that no discrepancies were reported during the elections as of early afternoon. Speaking to reporters, Ambassador Audrey Glover, head of the election observer delegation, said they will continue following the polls closely until they end. Also, the opposition bloc's election monitor, the Fair Election Platform, said on Thursday that the ballots are almost fully secured as part of the measures taken by the state. Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities took the necessary precautions on election day against possible conflicts.
Legal action has also been initiated against 10 foreigners posing as electoral monitors who tried to interfere in the elections. According to interior ministry sources, three French, three German and four Italian citizens were accused of falsely claiming to serve as observers for the OSCE in Turkey's eastern and southeastern Ağrı, Şırnak, Batman and Diyarbakır provinces.
